A Stir of Bones (2003)

Amazon preorder,Amazon received

I love how she doesn't give a pat ending to all of her books. The main character is left with an awful dilemma, in an unpleasant and unhappy situation, and yet there's enough hope and the reader can imagine things may have turned out well. Or, the reader can imagine that everything went downhill. Either way, the path traveled to get to the end of the book is intriguing and fantastical. ( )

Nina Kiriki Hoffman's A Stir Bones is a fabulous tale of family abuse and the supernatural. The story is told basically from Susan's POV and tells the story about every decision that she makes will come with consequences. She's got to dress, talk, and act a certain way, in order not to upset Father. When she goes to the library, she overhears a conversation about a haunted house and then summons the will to ask them if she can join them.

But she finds more than just a few friends in this house, she finds that she can change things if she really wanted to. I don't want to tell you much more about the book as I'm afraid I'll give it all away. But there are lessons to be learned from this story and if you like something that is going to touch your soul - then read this book. It's a very, very good story about a sad little girl, who just needs some guidance and some courage! ( )

Susan's life is empty and without feeling until she overhears a conversation that leads her to a haunted house. She quickly develops a relationship with the house and resident ghost, but struggles to do the same with her new friends. Interesting plot that slowly develops throughout the book. An abusive home life is quickly revealed, but the depth of her relationship with her parents is not explored until later in the book. A fantastic stand-alone prequel to Hoffman's other books. ( )

I like many (not all) of Nina's books. The Thread that Binds the Bones is way way up on my favorites list; this one's nowhere near there, but it's good and interesting. It ends rather abruptly, but matters are (kind of) solved at that point - she could have shown us the working out, but I don't think there would be another crisis point or good stopping place after that. I'd like to see these people again, maybe when they're adults and dealing with more mundane concerns. Aha - this is a prequel to Red Heart of Memories - OK, now I'll try that pair. ( )